Notes and Opinion: Koslov was undefeated in 8 months and was built to be an unstoppable brute. The idea of keeping Koslov unbeaten was a good one except for the 2nd year in a row the ECW Champion was made to look like a chump at this event. It’s almost as if they wanted that brand to die. Plus, Koslov didn’t entertain me until he became Santino’s wacky sidekick.

Notes and Opinion: Both guys looked really strong here in an effort to get the title shot at Regal. Punk looked like he belonged with Mysterio, which did a lot for him in the eyes of the fans. These two would have better matches against each other in the future. Fun stuff.

Winner: Punk pins Rey after hitting the Go to Sleep.

After the match there is a giant waste of PPV time. The gist is this, Shawn Michaels who is still a main event talent, is broke and had to go to JBL for financial help and was his slave. Didn’t make sense then and still makes little sense. Apparently Shawn never heard of an accountant or manager. It didn’t work, at all.

Match 3: Belfast Brawl (ECW)

Mark Henry vs Finlay

Notes and Opinion: This match made Mark Henry look like a monster, and for the 2nd year in a row Finlay has to fight a beast. A shorter beast this year, but still a beast. Match was nothing to write home about but at least ECW got more than 1 match this year. I guess that’s a positive.

Winner: Finlay wins after a shillelagh shot.

Yet another backstage time waster with a cast of characters that ended with a promo for Kennedy and his new movie. I’ll let you, the reader, look that crap up.

Match 4: (RAW) Singles match

Batista vs Randy Orton with Manu/Cody Rhodes

Notes and Opinion: This match had a big fight atmosphere as the announcers harped on it being 4 years in the making. This marked the Armageddon debut of the new Orton theme song “Voices” and him being with a proto legacy here. Good solid match that lived up to the hype. Both guys ended up OK.

Notes and Opinion: They were trying to get all the ladies on PPV. The only story here was McCool acting heelish. Match itself was not so good. I’m typing this last sentence so that the list of participants isn’t longer than my match description.

Winner: McCool pins Jillian with the Styles Clash.

After the match they do the Khali kiss cam with the Divas, leading to the obvious Mae Young appearance.

Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship (RAW)

(C) John Cena vs Chris Jericho

Notes and Opinion: Jericho was doing an awesome heel character at this time and was entertaining as hell. This was a damn good match that would have been great with 10 more minutes. John Cena is an underrated performer and always has been. Jericho is close to the GOAT. I liked this a lot.

Winner: Cena makes Jericho tap to the STFU.

Match 7: Triple Threat match for WWE Championship (Smackdown)

(C) Edge vs HHH vs Jeff Hardy

Notes and Opinion: Awesome match and moment for Jeff Hardy, as the story they were trying to tell with him at the previous Armageddon paid off. Hardy finally wins the big one. This was a great ending to the match and PPV. If Jeff’s story would have ended there it would have been perfect. Unfortunately there have been a lot of ups and downs for the guy since then. For this night though, all the world was right.

Winner: Hardy pins Edge after a Pedigree and Swanton. NEW CHAMPION!

Overall Thoughts: This was a solid PPV overall that had several fun moments and closed out Armageddon as a concept on a winning note. I’m glad that once they had the full roster the shows lived up to their potential. You couldn’t ask for a happier ending to a show than the one this had. Jeff’s crowning achievement.